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Cape Town LARPs
Cape Town, LARP capital of South Africa! This is probably literally true:we seem to write more of them than anyone else in the country. Below, a collection of classic Cape Town LARPs from various authors. I have removed links to author e-mails on grounds of SPAM; for further information on these LARPs, please contact me and I'll put you in touch with the designer(s) if at all possible.
A Call of Cthulu LARP set in the Edwardian era
by Andrew Sturman, Anthony Steele, Kathy Manchip, Kane Croudace
Distinguished Guests:
The renowned Auction House, Slitherbys, of Geneva, Switzerland, cordially invites you to an unique auction of rare and forbidden occult goods, ancient indescribable relics, black magic paraphernalia, unspeakable tomes, artefacts of lost civilisations and assorted bricabrac. Included are goods from the estate of the deceased Harold Butterworth. The Auction is to be held on the premises of The House of Slitherby's, Geneva, Switzerland, on the 6 of August 1901, at the hour ofSunset.
Slitherbys is not known for auctioning goods of this nature, but in view of the quality and variety of the goods in Slitherbys' possession at this time, a special auction is to be held.
Characters
Mr Cedric / Miss Cecilia Biggs, bookshop owner
Colonel Brent Morris, British army officer
Dr. Colin Flannery, an ex-explorer, now an author and noted scholar
Herr Doktor Karl Von Schinkenberg, German Neurologist and Medical Doctor
The Lama Khotan Srong, Tibetan Monk and Eastern Mystic
Ms Mabel Paddington-Smythe, Spiritualist and member of the Theosophical society.
Marie Rosetta, Gypsy fortune teller
The Great Rambolini, Stage Magician and Escape Artist
Father Shannon, Catholic priest, agent of the Vatican and exorcist
Kevin Warne, rich American Playboy.
A contemporary time-travel LARP
by Joanna Legutko
The year is 1998. Dr Y St Bernard, a world-renowned physicist and foremost authority in the area of time travel, has just announced the completion of the prototype of her time machine. A select group of experts have been invited to join her at a secret location in Mexico, to witness the (relatively) first instance of time travel in the history of mankind. Are you one of the chosen few?
Characters Dr Yvonne G St Bernard. A young scientist whose determination has driven her all her life to achieve her aim of fame and scientific recognition - the Nobel Prize.
Dr Terrence Kingsley. Dr St Bernard's assistant and confidante. They have been friends since they were children.
Dr Edmund Shaw. A member of the Nobel Commission and a famous physicist in his own right, his aim is to observe the experiment and support Dr St Bernard's claim for the Nobel Prize
Sue Detrevni. An American millionaire who has funded this project. She is fabulously rich and known to be quite eccentric.
Patricia De Marco. A gypsy. A rather unusual visitor at this scientific convention, but she is currently Ms Detrevni's companion (whatever that implies) and therefore accompanies her at all times.
Dr Glen Nitsche. A fellow physicist who has been in correspondence with Dr St Bernard for many years and who assisted her with the solutions to some time-space physics problems she encountered.
Sir Roger Belmont. A very famous veterinarian, who became a knight after he saved the Queen's cat from terminal depression. However, it is quite a mystery why he has been invited to a physics convention such as this one.
Lulu Barbit. A very attractive young woman, she represents the press. Dr St Bernard was adamant about secrecy and privacy; however, one media team was granted access to this experiment.
Simon Low . A photographer who collaborates with Lulu Barbit to bring this exclusive story to the public.
John Smith. Of course John Smith has to be here. He is a very important representative of his field, and we just couldn't afford not to invite him.
by Philip Anastasiadis and Lara Davison
"Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and sweet as love" - Old Turkish Proverb
On a quiet New England afternoon ten strangers are brought together by chance and a mutual love of coffee.
The Overlook Diner is unusually busy for a Sunday since most of the townsfolk of Harlow are sleeping or at church. The stillness of the afternoon has been broken by the unfamiliar wail of police sirens. Maybe Sheriff Bowers has finally caught up with those upstate college kids that have been playing mailbox baseball around town.
It's a strangely tense group of people that gather in the small seaside restaurant, and although the manager and waitress have dealt with bigger crowds, this bunch is somehow different. The men and woman in suits are definitely not from Around Here and that young girl with one of the regulars looks like a lady in trouble. It could be a long night ahead and it may be fixing to storm, but damn... that coffee sure smells good, and in these demanding times it may be just what you need to get you through the night.
Characters
STAFF: Jack Torrance (manager), Chric Hargenson (waitress)
PATRONS: Vic Donatti (m), Tommy Ross (m), Charlie Decker (m), Jimmy McCaan (m), John Renshaw (m), Bobbi Anderson (f), Ellie Creed (f), Cheryl Craig (f)
by Joanna Legutko
Welcome to the infamous Cognito Opera House, home to maniacs, tyrants, idiots and psychotics - in other words, some of the world's most famous opera singers.
The House has been burnt, flooded, rebuilt and torn down again so many times, often by the aforementioned singers, that hardly anyone knows how old it really is ... but today, it has become known as the greatest centre of music in the civilised world. Daily performances are the source of great entertainment to the entire populace (well, the well-dressed and high-born part of it. The rest of Cognito's bawdy inhabitants would not be seen dead, or even clean, at an opera, anyway.)
Tonight's performance is the gala opening of Geoffrey Scheminskey's brand new masterpiece, Karen. We elbow our way into the crowded hall, and are temporarily left stunned by the sheer opulence which only 10 000 yards of red velvet can provoke... As we recover, our attention focuses on the stage.
It soon becomes obvious that we should abandon any hope of following the plot. The composer reassures us in our ignorance by adding lyrics in a foreign tongue and a medley of characters confusing enough to emulate real life. But comprehension is not the aim of an opera: it is the extravagant costumes and sets, the dramatic performances, and lastly, of course, the extraordinary beauty of the human voice that captivates us.
As the last clear chord fades into silence, we join the overwhelmed audience in thunderous applause, mourning the end of a magical evening...
... while behind the scenes, the Show still goes on.
by Philip Anastasiadis, Lara Davison, Mal Morrow
Inspired by the art and poetry of Edward Gorey. A LARP all about Art, Morality and the Roaring 20's. For 6 boys and 4 girls, ages 18 and up.
You are invited to the exclusive private viewing of Benedict Slaughter's brilliant new collection, representing a change of style that promises to shake the Boston art scene to its very roots.
Mr Slaughter, the erratic darling of the artistic elite, has issued only a handful of invitations to what will assuredly be the social event of the year.
Your generous host has made the delightful decision to hold the event not in an art gallery but rather in his own home, the majestic Chateaux d'Aubergine, the discreet island villa only a mile from the New England coast.
by Philip Anastasiadis and Lara Davison
A mysterious archaeological-dig LARP for 8 male and 3 female players.
Extract from a letter to an unidentified recipient:
"…but on to more important matters. I’m sure that you’ve heard of Donald Foxcroft, the famous archaeology professor. (I could say infamous- he has a rather dubious reputation when it comes to the ladies.) Anyway, I’ve just heard that he and his protégé have made a really important discovery, in Malta of all places. Apparently there is now a big debate about whether the Maltese government has a claim on the find, so Foxcroft might not get the booty after all. But all that’s beside the point. A little birdy tells me that there is much more to this relic than meets the eye. I have also been informed that some rather important wheelers and dealers are on their way to Malta as I write this. I think you should pack your bags, this looks like just the sort of gathering that would suit your purposes…"
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